


The Aftermath

by mythireandfire



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, OCs - Freeform, friends OCs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 18:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4888057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythireandfire/pseuds/mythireandfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luthien's friends and loved ones prepare to comfort her when she wakes up after the events of Trespasser.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my very very awesome and good friend Matt. Luthien Lavellan, Reinhold the Golden, and Naranni belong to them while Laheir is my child.

Laheir counted the hours by Luthien’s breathing.

_In, and out. In, and out. In, and out._

For four days, the steady breathing of her clan mate had been the only source of telling time for the hunter. Luthien lay motionless and fevered in a room in the healer’s wing of Halamshiral. Her left arm was bandaged from the stump of her elbow to her shoulder and across her chest. Her ginger hair had been tied back to keep the curls from sticking to her face as sweat broke out across her forehead.

And Laheir wasn’t the only one counting breaths. Cullen sat by Luthien’s side, holding her remaining hand in his, his head hanging over her as his lips moved in silent prayers. Ever since they had returned Luthien to the palace, Cullen’s face had stayed in a tense, worried mask. Fear for his wife had Cullen sitting on the edge of a precipice, and the only time he spoke was when one of his officer’s came to give him a report.

The only other person in the room was Reinhold, and he had taken the seat on his daughter’s left side. Laheir watched the Magister surreptitiously from the corner of her eye, worried just as much for him as she was for Luthien. The Tevinter’s dark skin had an ashy undertone that made him look gray, and his eyes were flat and leaden, a haunting quality for man who was once bright with life. But after he was recovered enough from the wound Naranni had given him, he had come to watch over his daughter—who had yet to awaken since being brought back from the Crossroads.

Laheir closed her eyes and tried to push back the exhaustion she felt. She sat at the foot of the bed with her hand resting on Luthien’s left ankle, and she squeezed Luthien’s leg gently hoping to let her friend know she was here. The Inquisition was adrift and it wasn’t helping that The Landsmeet was trying to come to a decision before Luthien awoke. Lelianna, Josephine, and Laheir were holding the diplomats back by the skin of their teeth. Though the three women were in agreement on what they thought their Inquisitor would do—and that would be to keep the Inquisition together.

Laheir didn’t quite agree with that, knowing that corruption could easily take seed and grow within their ranks, but she would support the decision. Afterwards she would have to go through rigorous testing with her agents, and she was grateful knowing that Lelianna would be a part of that. They were her spies to begin with in any case.

Turning her mind away from the work and politics to come, Laheir reached over and grabbed Reinhold’s hand and squeezed it comfortingly. “How are you holding up?” She queried softly.

Reinhold latched onto her hand with a death grip for moment before loosening his hold, but not releasing her. He gave her a tremulous smile that faltered. “I…will survive. It will be better once Luthien wakes up.” He looked at his daughter with a mixture of fear and fondness.

 _I will kill her._ The thought rose unbidden with all the anger Laheir had been trying to lock away, but at the sight of Reihold so broken, and knowing how Luthien will take the news of her mother trying to kill her father, the anger boiled in her blood and made her nostrils flare. She had begun to mistrust the elven bard when they had returned from Tevinter with Naranni. Laheir had been glad she had been freed from the magister, but the light she remembered in Naranni had dimmed to something darker. She had tried to warn Luthien, but her sister would hear nothing of it. And she couldn’t blame her. Taking deep breaths, she focused back on Reinhold.

The man watched his daughter breathing, and then suddenly covered his eyes with his hand, rubbing them hard in an effort to fight back tears. “If she wakes up that is.”

“She will.” Laheir said at the same time Cullen retorted with, “Of course she will.”

Reinhold and Laheir became quiet as they looked at the Commander. Cullen wasn’t looking at them, but staring down at Luthien, one hand resting on her cheek. “She has too,” he whispered.

Laheir lifted her hand off Luthien’s ankle and reached over to rest it on Cullen’s shoulder. “Yes, she will. Our Luthien is a fighter if nothing else.”

“She’ll be upset when she wakes up and realizes…” Cullen trailed off and looked at what was left of Luthien’s arm.

“Yes, but she has all of us to help her through it.” Laheir soothed. She had every belief that Luthien would be distraught at first, but would then lock down to save face for Cullen, Reinhold, and her son, Branson. That would be the hardest time to get through to her.

As if reading her mind, Reinhold asked, “Where’s Branson?”

“Bull and the Chargers are looking after him.” She gave Reinhold a small smile at the incredulous look on his face. “They’re better at looking after children than you think. And Mother Giselle is also with them.”

“Ah, I suppose that’s…better.” Reinhold relented, with a pensive look on his face. His fingers came up and gently touched the end of Luthien’s left arm. “I’m just grateful Solas’ magic did not harm the baby.”

Laheir nodded in agreement, while Cullen paled further at the thought of losing his second child. It had been one of the first things the healers had informed them—that Luthien had not miscarried. If that had been the case, Laheir would not only be hunting Solas to find him, but to kill him.

“Serah Lavellan?”

Laheir looked up to see one of her agents standing in the doorway. Laheir excused herself, closing the door behind her. “What news do you have?”

“Not a bloody thing, serah.” The woman was Starkhaven, her name Lila, and her accent only enhanced the irritation in her voice. “The eluvian in our possession has gone dark and nothing we do can activate it.”

“So we can’t track Solas by those means.” Laheir concluded, her lips pressed in a flat line. It wasn’t surprising but it was frustrating.

“And another thing, serah. We’re missing agents.”

“How many?”

“At least fifteen, maybe more.” Lila looked grim as she continued. “And they’re all elven.”

Laheir felt her stomach turn to ice, but kept her face blank. “Fen’harel’s agents then, leaving the fold. Interesting. Have you brought this to Divine Victoria’s attention yet?”

“No, serah, I wanted to give the report to you first.”

“Thank you, Lila. Give the Divine the same findings as you gave me, and tell Charter…” Laheir paused as remembered Charter was an elf as well.

“Charter is still here, serah.” Lila said with a grin, the scar on her lips making it more like a grimace. “She was raving mad as the reports of the missing agents came rolling in.”

“Of course she was,” Laheir shook her head. “Then tell Charter to send non elven agents out to keep watch over those that are left until they are proven loyal. They won’t like it, but it’s necessary.”

“Does that include a watcher for Charter too?” Lila asked warily.

Laheir gave her a small smile. “Knowing Charter, she’s probably already put a watch on herself already.”

Lila giggled. “Right you are, serah. I’ll see to it that the orders are taken out right away.”

The agent gave Laheir a salute and then loped away. Laheir sighed and turned back to the door and into the room. Cullen looked up and saw the stony look on her face.

“Trouble?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Laheir replied, and then paused. “Elven agents are missing from the ranks. The report is fifteen but there could be more. In light of recent events, I would not be surprised if they were Solas’ agents that Reinhold said he mentioned. I’ve given the order to keep watch over those who are left.”

Cullen nodded. “I know there are elven warriors among my ranks. Perhaps we should have them checked?”

“We can. I can send some agents out to watch over them. Daelen might also notice anything odd within the army so—“

Laheir was cut off as Luthien groaned and her eye lids began to flicker open. Cullen was standing in a heartbeat, his face one of hope and love. Reinhold stood as well and laid a hand on her shoulder, while Laheir leaned forward and placed her hand on Luthein’s leg.

“Luthien? Luthien, love can you hear me?” Cullen asked gently.

“Cullen?” Luthein’s eyes opened and she looked up in a daze. “Where am I?”

“You’re back in Orlais, in Halamshiral,” Cullen answered, smiling down at his wife. He leaned down and placed a gently kiss on Luthien’s lips, which she returned drowsily. When he pulled away it was only to rest his forehead against his. “Thank the Maker you’re awake.”

But Luthien didn’t hear him as she reached over and felt of her left arm—and for what wasn’t there. Her breathing became erratic as she sat up and moved her stump to where she could see it better. She began to rip away the bandages, but Reinhold placed his hands over hers to keep her from hurting herself. Luthien looked at her father with tears in her eyes.

“This was Solas’ doing?” Luthien choked out, her hand gripping her left bicep hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

“Yes, and in doing so he saved you.” Reinhold said quietly.

Luthien gave a jerky nod, though tears fell down her cheeks. “Did mother…did she really betray us?”

Reinhold’s face twisted in fresh pain and he could only give a short nod. But it was enough.

Luthien gasped for air and buried her face into Cullen’s chest, and he wrapped his arms around her making soothing noises into her hair.

“It’s going to be alright, darling, it’s all going to be alright.” He chanted, gripping her tight as she sobbed into his shirt.

Laheir tightened her hold on Luthien’s leg and the sensation made Luthien look out from Cullen’s arms, and she sobbed Laheir’s name and reached for her with her good hand, still in Cullen’s embrace.

Laheir took her hand and gripped it in both of hers. “Tel’gela, da’len,” Laheir whispered soothingly. “We are with you, and as Cullen said, it’s all going to be alright.”

**Author's Note:**

> Tel'gela, da'len translates to "Do not fear, little one."


End file.
